Dr McGaughey, who had the flags up in solidarity with remain voters in the city, remained defiant, replacing the flags within a few days. On Saturday, April 22, however, Dr McGaughey was horrified to discover yet another flag had been snatched from outside his Cambridge home.

“There are two possibilities,” said Dr McGaughey. “Either it’s a single marauding Brexiteer sweeping the streets or there is a hoard of them out there terrorising the people of Cambridge."

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Dr McGaughey has already installed another EU flag - this time pairing it with a Union flag to show his solidarity with the UK staying together amid fears Brexit pressures may drive the constituent countries apart.

“It just saddens me," he said. "I have got another flag up, and I have put it together with a Union Jack because I am worried about the concept of unity and that we might face the break-up of the country.

“I am not waging a battle against common thieves. My only intention is to show solidarity with people who want unity. I am very worried about the hard Brexit policies this government is pursuing. If the UK breaks up, that is the end of the Olympic team and the BBC. It will also be the end of UKIP, because there will be no union.”

When Dr McGaughey’s last flag was stolen in March, the lecturer said he would ask the perpetrator for an apology, as well as a 3,000 word essay on the right to a fair trial under EU law, the ECHR, and its origins from Magna Carta.